Connector for electrical conduits.



A. MOMURTRIE.

CONNECTOR FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUITS.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1.907.

1,036,296. Patented Aug..2o,1912.

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WM y S5511 hf/L 61H01 new 'ADNAH McMU-BTEE, QF N 'W YRK, N, Y,

CONNECTOR FOR, ELECTRICAL GONDUITS.

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T0 all 'zo/1,0m may concern:

Be itlmown that l, ADNAH MoMnnrRni, of New York, N., Y., have. invented certain improvements in Connectors for Electrical Conduite, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings designating like parts.

rlhis. invention relates to electrical conduits and has for its object a box con-` nector or device for connecting the ends of electrical conduit armor tubes, armored conductors, and the like inplace adjacent and in communication with apertures usually provided in the walls of outlet boxes or similar electrical conduit members.

My invention is of particular utility when embodied in a connector for securing the spirally wound flexible metallic armor or fibrous sheath of a conductor in place at its point ofunion with an outlet box, although it will be understood that l contemplate the utilization of my invention in any eld for which it may be adapted by the natureof my improvements.

Briefly stated my device comprises an attaching portion, preferably provided with a screw threaded neclr to'pass through the conduit aperture in an outlet box and receive a lock nut within the box, and a connecting portion preferablyintegral with the attaching portion to extend outward from the wall of the box to form a seat for the conduit, the latter being secured to the seat by a separate flexible strap portion preferably secured to the connector portion adjacent the seat and having fasteningmeans such as a set screw, stove bolt or the like, to enable the strap to be secured in adjusted position around the armor tube, clamping the latter firmly against the seat.

The various features of my invention will be illustrated and described fully in the accompanying drawing and specification and pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 of the drawing shows in side elevation, partly in section, an electrical conduit box, with apertures to which are at- -tached connectors in the construction of which my improvements Vhave been embodied. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate,.in front eleva-` tion, modied forms of connector'with seats of polygonal section; and Fig. Liis a vertical, longitudinal sectional view of a coupling in the construction of which my invention has been embodied.

Speeicaton m? Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

Application led September 17s i907. Seria1 No./93,329.

in the embodiment of my invention selected for illustration and description to enable ready and complete understanding of my improvements, the reference numeral l designates the attaching )ortion of the box connector, 2 designates the seat, and 3 the connector strap, l being the fastening means,

which in the instance illustrated, talresthe form of a stove bolt passing through lugs v5 in the end portions 6 of the strap, which l. prefertc pass around outside the'bottom of the connector seat and to secure thesame thereto, as by the finger 7 formed by an integral ridge divided from the periphery of the walls of the seat by a tangential slot 8 in which lies the strap, the tip of the linger being bent' down to engage the strap and prevent its displacement from the slot.

The reference numeral 9 designates a rounded shoulder formed within the attaching portion 1, and is preferably slightly less in diameter than the inside diameter of the armor tube shown in place at 10 withinthe seat 2, where it has been secured by tightening the stove bolt -and compressingthestrap into close and binding engagement with the spiral coils of the armor, the flexible strappreferably being swaged as at 11 to correspend in form with, and to enter the spiral convolutions and aid thereby to prevent displacement of the tube.

The reference numeral 12, designates aV lock nut provided upon the threaded exterior of the attaching portion.

While the structure just described furnishes a very simple and. inexpensive, but highly eticient means for accomplishing the purpose set forth, it may be modifiedin its details of construction as found desirable to meet the exigencies of the various 'situations where it may be used, and one such modification is illustrated at13,'this numeral desigmating-'a flange integral with thel connector seat '14, whichiextends from-an attaching portion 15 similar to that already described,I

being substantially semi'lcylindrical, lthe flange having a hole 16, preferably threaded to receivev an attaching screw 17,y which passes through the ends 18 and 19, respectively, ofa metallic connecting strap 20, the

screw acting both to hold the strap normally in placeand to bind it into engagement with` an varmor tube as already describedv withV reference to the strap. The end 19 of the` 110 strap will preferably be bent around theilange as indicated at 21,- so that the screwV will pass through it twice. ln both instances, the strap will be found to furnish an efficient electrical connection' between the armor and the connector, .andordinarily the larger the area of contact between the strap andthe armor, ,the better will be the electrical' connection, vso that `for Athis reason as wellv as for ease in adjustment of the parts, ll prefer to form the seat semi-cylindrical, although l do not limit myself to this exact proportion of the parts, nor'to a seat of circular cross section, as it is often desirable to make the seat of polygthat the :attaching-portion will receive the end of a conduit of any suitable'fornn-and as oneconvenient construction `the attaching `portion may, a s shown in F ig. 4L, be threaded internally, as at 24, Vto receive the threaded end 25 of a well known form of a conduit tube, While the seat 26, strap 27, and the fas tening, means 28 and roundedslfioulder 29 are similar to those already described with reference-to` Fig. f1.

Eachfendlof the4 connector may be found with parts like those designated by the reference numerals 26, 27, and 28, or other variations a in thecombination of parts illust-rated, and in their specific construction,

may be adopted Awithout departing from the t ortion substantiallyspirit ofmyinvention,"n0r`in general do l limit myself otherwise vthan as set forth in my claims read 1n connection with this specilication. A Y

What 'l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is I l; An attachment for articles-of the-class described having peripheral interstices; said attachment comprising an attaching por-- tion, a connector seat portion, a connector strap sufficiently flexible to enter intimately the peripheral interst-ices of `the article to be connected,means to retain said strap normally upon said device, and means to tighten said strap to bind the armor tube in adjusted position upon said connector'seat, substantially as described.

2.,r A device of the class described, comprising integrally formed att-aching and seat portions,anda separately formed connector strap', said seat having a peripheral slot to receive said strap and a tongue to bind said strap within said slot, andsaid strap having adjustable fastening means to bind it in place upon an electrical conduit to secure the latter to'said seat, 4substantially-as described.

3. A' device of the class described; coinprising an attaching portion ;'a substantially .semi-cylindrical connector seat of polygonal contour upon its interior face; and a flexible connector; subst-antially as described.

Signed at New York in the county and State of New York this 30th ldayl'of August ADNAl-l i MCMURTRIE. Witnesses: f I I ALEXANDER l). PRoUDrrr, HIE. OGLE.; 

